Financial wellness and planning

Creating a more confident investor

April 26, 2023

Amanda Levis

Amanda Levis

Vanguard Behavioral Economist

In episode 3 in this series on the importance of financial advice, experts from Vanguard and elsewhere in the financial services industry offer perspectives on how financial advice can make investors feel more confident by helping them understand what investment levers they can control to reach their goals, even through volatile markets.

Thanks to an overabundance of new instruments that have democratized financial planning, the average American is prone to a host of cognitive biases such as “anchoring,” “herding,” and other colorful names, all of which are triggered by the stress of having to decide—at precisely the moment they need their full attention.

This audio series of three 20-minute episodes highlights insights from Vanguard and other financial experts and details results of the recent Economist Impact survey of 1,200 American investors.

“Having so much information available at our fingertips can make it difficult for us to make choices,” says Amanda Levis, Vanguard behavioral economist.

Listen to episode 3

00:00 / 00:00
Audiocast transcript

Podcast sources:

  • “Americans Can’t Get Enough of the Stock Market”, The Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2021.
  • The New American Investor: Finding Confidence in Their Financial Future. Economist Impact, The Economist Group, May 2022.
  • A Visual Depiction of the Shift from Defined Benefit (DB) to Defined Contribution (DC) Pension Plans in the Private Sector, Congressional Research Service, December 27, 2021.
  • The New Map of Life: A Report from The Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University, April 2022.
  • "Choice Proliferation, Simplicity Seeking, and Asset Allocation".  Sheena S. Iyengar and Emir Kamenica, Journal of Public Economics, 2010.
Related links:

Notes:

All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.

Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.

Vanguard’s advice services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (“VAI”), a registered investment advisor, or by Vanguard National Trust Company (“VNTC”), a federally chartered, limited-purpose trust company.  

This information is for general guidance only and does not take into consideration your personal circumstances or other factors that may be important in making investment decisions. We recommend that you consult a financial or tax advisor about your individual situation before investing.

Vanguard podcasts, produced by Economist Impact, originally appeared in June 2022 as “The expanding universe of choice.”

Vanguard Information and Insights

Get Vanguard news, insights, and timely analysis on the market, delivered straight to your inbox.

Read our online privacy notice to learn about how we keep personal information private.

* Indicates a required field

Vanguard Information and Insights

Thank you for subscribing to Financial wellness & planning.

You'll be notified when new content is published, but will only ever receive one email a day from Vanguard Insights.

You’re already a subscriber, thank you! What would you like to do next?
Vanguard logo

Vanguard is the trusted name in investing. Since our founding in 1975, we've put investors first.

Learn more